Depositing items of value

ABSTRACT

A method of depositing items of value, the method comprising
         1) receiving a tamper evident and coded container holding the items of value, the code relating to the content of the container;   2) verifying that the package has been received in an acceptable manner, and, if it has,   3) either incrementing an account with the value of the items of value in the container by reference to the code and without opening the container, or, if the account has previously been incremented, leaving the account unchanged.

This is a Division of application Ser. No. 10/495,976 filed Oct. 8,2004, which in turn is a National Stage of PCT/GB02/05254, filed Nov.22, 2002. The disclosures of the prior applications are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

The invention relates to methods of depositing items of value such ascash, including banknotes and coins, and to apparatus for use in suchmethods.

Conventionally, documents of value such as banknotes can be depositedrelatively automatically within a bank or other financial institution byfeeding the banknotes into a banknote reader/verifier. This process maybe self service or carried out with the assistance of a teller. Thissystem, if it accepts the banknotes, will then pass those notes to asecure cassette and record the transaction. The depositor=s account willthen be updated as appropriate. From time to time, the cassette willthen be extracted in a secure manner from the deposit apparatus or, inthe case of a recycler, will be used as a source of banknotes fordispensing.

JP-A-20311199 and JP-A-5181894 disclose systems in which cash such asbanknotes can be deposited at one location and information relating tothe deposited cash is then transmitted to a second location. At thesecond location, banknotes or other currency corresponding to thedeposited currency are loaded into an envelope which is sealed and thendispensed.

There is a need to increase the speed at which cash ownership can betransferred while maintaining security of the cash itself. This is boththe case for individuals paying cash into personal bank accounts and forlarger commercial institutions transferring large amounts of cashpotentially from multiple locations. Retailers are a particularly aptexample of commercial institutions that would like to transfer theownership of cash as rapidly as possible so their account can becredited. Herein particular reference will be made to large retailorganisations but it should be appreciated that similar issues are facedby other commercial organisations and to a lesser extent by individuals.

In essence to enable more rapid reconciliation of cash (cash in thisinstance including banknotes, coin, casino chips, vouchers, cheques,debit/credit card receipts and other near money documents and tokens),and the subsequent crediting of an account it is essential to secureboth the physical and virtual movement of cash. That is without securingcash in some physical manner, e.g. within a tamper evident container,the recipient is unlikely to trust any information pertaining to valuethat may be associated with it. Indeed currently within many cashmanagement cycles even when cash is transported in a wholly securemanner a recipient will still insist on recounting it prior to creditingan account. This also holds true for individuals paying money into abank account. A teller will always recount cash to be deposited toensure the correct amount has been passed.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a method ofdepositing items of value comprises:

-   -   1) receiving a tamper evident and coded container holding the        items of value, the code relating to the content of the        container;    -   2) verifying that the container has been received in an        acceptable manner, and, if it has,    -   3) either incrementing an account with the value of the items of        value in the container by reference to the code and without        opening the container, or, if the account has previously been        incremented, leaving the account unchanged.

We have addressed the problems outlined above by utilizing a tamperevident container which is also coded in such a way that its content canbe identified without opening the container, and it is possible to allowthe container to be handled in a relatively unsecure manner which isparticularly advantageous. Indeed, in some cases, the container could beinsecure in the sense that it could be tampered with, as long astampering can be detected.

Thus, the invention overcomes the problems set out above by securelyassociating the data with the physical tamper evident container. Theinvention can be implemented in a range of environments encompassingboth retailers and financial institutions such as high street retailbanks. The current invention may also be implemented at differing levelsof sophistication and automation dependent upon the needs of the user.

The code will typically define the total value of the items of value inthe container. This may be either directly by the code itself or, moretypically, by the code enabling a store or memory, usually in a remotelocation, to be addressed which contains information defining the totalvalue.

The items of value could be inserted into the container in a variety ofways, for example manually, usually under controlled conditions.However, preferably, the container is loaded automatically. Thus, priorto step 1, the method further comprises supplying the items of value toan item counter and verifier adapted to count and verify the items andto insert the items into and to seal a container.

This is particularly advantageous since apparatus for inserting theitems into the container could be located remotely from the depositingapparatus, for example at the premises of a retailer or the like.

In some cases, the code could be printed on the container just before,during or even after the items of value have been inserted into thecontainer. Preferably, however, the containers are provided in advancewith unique codes.

In another option, the container is at least partially transparent andcontains a code carrier, for example a receipt or header/footer card,printed at the time the container was filled, providing the code such asa bar code, which can be read through the transparent portion. In afurther option, the container is opaque but contains a storage device,e.g. a RFID, whose content can be read through the container wall. Ineither case, a further identification label could be placed on theoutside of the container.

Preferably, the method further comprises holding the items of value inan escrow location following the counting and verifying step. In somecases, this enables a user to remove the items before they are insertedinto a container. This enables a user to be confident that the correctvalue is ascribed to the items which he has deposited before they arefinally inserted into the container.

Typically, the container is a package made of paper or a flexibleplastics, in contrast to conventional stores such as cassettes made fromrigid metal boxes. However, in some cases, semi-rigid or even rigidcontainers (typically mechanically or electronically locked) could beused. The use of a secure cassette as typically used in cash handlingequipment for banknotes is advantageous since the notes can then beautomatically fed into document sorting equipment at the financialinstitution.

Tamper evidence could be checked manually allowing the use of plaincontainers. Preferably, however, positive tamper evident feature(s) areprovided. The tamper evident package may be constructed in a variety ofconventional ways but we have developed some new packages described inmore detail in our co-pending International application of even dateentitled ATamper Evident Container@ (Agents Ref: RSJ07664WO).

In some cases, an account such as a bank account can be incremented withthe value of the items in the container immediately after the containeris filled and sealed so as to achieve very rapid crediting. Of course,there is a risk that the container will be tampered with and items ofvalue removed before the container reaches deposit location such as abank or other secure institution. In that event, it will be necessary todecrement the account at a later stage. Alternatively, the account isnot incremented until the container has been deposited and steps (1) and(2) of the method successfully completed.

In either event, successful incrementing of the account does not requirethe content of the container to be reevaluated. This results in asignificant increase in speed of crediting accounts.

In order to insert items of value into a container, we provide inaccordance with a second aspect of the present invention, depositapparatus for receiving a sealed, tamper evident container includingitems of value, the container carrying a code related to the content ofthe container, comprises a tamper detection system for determining ifthe container has been tampered with; a code reader for reading the codeon the container; and a receptacle for storing accepted containers.

Information derived from the code can be transmitted directly to aremote host or stored locally in a memory, typically for subsequenttransmission to the host so that an account can be incremented.

The receptacle may be open or alternatively secure, for example a safe.

Typically, the apparatus will include a transmitter for transmitting thecode to a host processor, usually only if the tamper detection systemindicates that the container has not been tampered with. If tampering isdetected the container will be rejected without the account beingincremented. If the account had been previously implemented then itcould be decremented or at least flagged pending further inspection ofthe container.

Typically, the apparatus includes a memory for storing details relatingto the expected content of the container derived, for example, from thecode. This is then used to increment an account.

The tamper detection system can be of any conventional form as is wellknown to persons of ordinary skill in the art. A particularly preferredsystem includes a radiation source and detector adapted to monitor theluminescent, e.g. fluorescent, response of a container to radiation fromthe source, and a processor responsive to the luminescent response ofthe container to determine if the container has been tampered with. Thiswould be used in conjunction with a container which exhibits aparticular pattern of luminescence when untampered and a differentpattern when tampered with.

Typically, information relating to a package will be held in a remotehost which may or may not be the same as the institution holding accountdetails.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises an escrow store in whichcontainers can be temporarily stored prior to being inspected by thetamper detection system. This enables a number of containers to beprocessed by the apparatus without an operator having to wait for eachto be processed before presenting the next.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a reject outlet to whichcontainers are supplied if the tamper detection system determines that acontainer has been tampered with. These containers could be returned tothe operator but conveniently the reject outlet is inaccessible to thecontainer depositor so that the containers are held securely forsubsequent inspection.

Containers could be manually loaded and provided with codes if thiscould be done under satisfactory secure conditions. However, some formof automatic loading is preferred and in accordance with the thirdaspect of the present invention, we provide container loading apparatuscomprising an inlet for receiving items of value; a transport system forfeeding the items of value from the inlet; a monitoring system formonitoring items of value fed to it by the transport system; a containerloading system for loading acceptable items, as determined by themonitoring system, into a container; means for providing an overt orcovert indication of the content of the container; and a containerclosing mechanism for closing the container such that the indication isdetectable from outside the container.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method ofloading items of value into a container comprises feeding the itemsalong a transport path; monitoring the items for acceptability; loadingacceptable items into a container; providing an overt or covertindication on or in the container relating to its content; and closingthe container such that the indication is detectable from outside thecontainer.

This enables items of value to be securely loaded into containers andminimises the risk of fraud.

In the case of plastic containers, the container closing mechanism cancomprise a sealer but other closing mechanisms will be chosen inaccordance with the manner of closing the container. For example, a lockactuator or the like could be used.

The items of value could be held loosely in the container but,particularly in the case of documents, the apparatus preferably furthercomprises a banding mechanism for placing a band around the items ofvalue prior to loading them into a container.

Typically, containers will be supplied individually to the apparatus bythe user although the apparatus may further comprise a container supplysystem for supplying containers from a store to the container loadingsystem.

The amount of inspection carried out by the apparatus can be determinedby the application. In a simple case, the monitoring system comprises acounting and verifying system for counting and verifying the items ofvalue. In addition to this, however, the system may further comprise anitem identifying device such as a pattern recognition system or thelike. This is particularly suitable when handling banknotes and otherreadily recognisable items.

The indication (or code in other embodiments) is typically visiblealthough it could be covert, e.g. only detectable under i.r.illumination.

The indication providing means preferably comprises a printer which canbe located downstream of the container closure mechanism so as to printthe indication such as a code e.g. a bar code onto the outer surface ofthe container or alternatively onto a label which is affixed to thecontainer. Alternatively, the printer may be adapted to print theindication on an insert, the container loading system being adapted toload the insert into the container such that the indication isdetectable, typically visible, through a window of the container.

In a further alternative, preprinted inserts or tags could be used.

In some cases, the apparatus further comprises an escrow locationdownstream of the monitoring system and upstream of the containerloading system, for example to allow a user to retrieve the items ofvalue before they are loaded into the container. However, an escrow isnot essential.

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus is coupled with, or evenincorporated in, a retail till or cash point at least for electroniccommunication with the till or cash point. This assists in achievinggood concordance between the items of value loaded into the containerand those expected from the till or cash point. In a particularlyconvenient approach, the inlet of the apparatus is connected to the tillor cash point to receive items of value therefrom. This minimises therisk of fraud during the transfer from one to the other.

Within the apparatus, a variety of known approaches may be used forhandling the items of value. For example, unrecognised items of valuecould be fed to a reject outlet or to a secure store for subsequentinspection. The transport system could be stopped if an unrecogniseditem of value is detected causing the operator to extract the item forsubsequent inspection.

The container loading apparatus could form part of an item of valuedispenser or recycler.

In order to restrict use of the apparatus, the apparatus may furthercomprise a control system which can only be activated by an operatorinputting a pass code. To that end, the apparatus conveniently furthercomprises an input device to enable the pass code to be entered, theinput device comprising one or more of a keypad, magnetic stripe reader,smart card reader, biometric reader and the like.

The apparatus may also includes means to allow separator cards, headersand footers to be inserted into the container at appropriate positions.These may be printed with information relating to the source of theitems etc.

Typical enhancements of the container loading apparatus include:

The apparatus may have the ability to place cash in to a singlecontainer or multiple containers and data relating to the fillingprocess be provided to each container.

Multiple containers may be placed into a single secure store.

There may be multiple stores for the containers.

The visual indication can contain data which may include operator ID,date, time, transaction details or reference numbers, value and mix ofdocuments processed, account details to which the value of thetransaction is to be credited, security details or code. Some of thisinformation may be entered via a smart card.

Ability of the user to input supporting information.

Production of receipts.

The items will typically be documents of value such as banknotes,travellers cheques, vouchers, credit/debit card receipts, personalcheques etc. but could be other articles such as coins.

Some examples of methods and apparatus according to the invention willnow be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an example of apparatus fordepositing items of value;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the primary steps in the processof operating the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a more detailed flow diagram of the container filling process;

FIG. 4 illustrates possible contents for the memory of the containerloading apparatus;

FIG. 5 illustrates different steps which may be taken during thecontainer filling process;

FIG. 6 illustrates the deposit and credit process in more detail;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a container loading apparatus;

FIG. 8 illustrates the main components of the apparatus shown in FIG. 7;

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate an example of a suitable package forcontaining items of value;

FIG. 10 illustrates a bar code and tamper evident reader for use in thedeposit apparatus; and,

FIGS. 11 to 20 illustrate in diagrammatic form several alternativeembodiments of the invention as defined generally in FIG. 2.

The overall apparatus is shown in FIG. 1 and its mode of operation setout in FIG. 2. Thus a container loading system 1 is located at a sourcelocation such as a retailer, typically in association with one or moretills 2. In some cases, the container loading apparatus may bephysically connected to the tills, or even located within a till, sothat bank notes and/or coins etc can be transferred from one to theother in a secure manner. The container loading apparatus 1 receives(step 20) the items, counts and verifies them (step 22) loads 24 thesupplied banknotes and coins into a tamper evident package or envelopewhich is sealed, and provides 26 the envelope with a unique code such asa bar code. In some examples, the bar code defines the value of thecontents of the package while in other examples, that information issupplied separately via a modem 3 to a remote host 4 where it is storedand can be accessed using the unique bar code. The sealed, tamperevident envelope is then transferred, typically in a non-secure mannerto a destination location where deposit apparatus 5 is located. Thedestination location could comprise a financial institution such as abank or a cash-in-transit operator or the like. At the depositapparatus, the package is accepted (step 30) and its integrity isverified (step 32) to check that it has not been tampered with. The barcode is then read (step 34) and any other verification steps needed arecarried out. If the bar code constitutes a look-up address then the host4 is accessed via a modem 7 to enable the value of the contents of thepackage to be determined. Once this has been done and any otheracceptance checks completed (step 36) the information is supplied to abank or other financial institution 8 having a microprocessor whichcauses the account of the owner of the items of value to be credited(step 38), the account being held in a memory 9.

In other examples, a link may be set up between the host 4 and the bank8 directly so that the account in the memory 9 is immediately updatedfollowing sealing of a package by the container loading apparatus 1. Inthat event, the deposit apparatus 5, once it has verified the integrityof a package, will simply confirm to the bank 8 that the credit isvalid. Alternatively, if the verification check fails the entire packagecan be cancelled in which case the account will be debited.

In order to load documents such as banknotes or other value tokenssecurely into a sealed envelope, the loading apparatus is providedmounted within a secure housing 100 (FIG. 7). The housing 100 could bemobile (by mounting on wheels) so that it can be taken to differenttills etc., and would then be battery powered or have flying leads. Itcould be built into a small powered vehicle, typically electricallydriven, suitable for driving around inside a large store, shopping mall,or airport concourse. Alternatively the housing may form part of theretail till 2 itself or part of a back office cash management solution.The apparatus 1 could be arranged so that it can only be operated byauthorised users, e.g. by requiring the operator to present a smart cardor equivalent to switch the system on and/or including means to identifythe operator of the till the cash is being received from, e.g. smartcard, biometrics, or PIN (indicated at 150 in FIG. 3). Information toassist the operator is displayed 152 on a main display 114 (FIG. 7).

The user interface may be a traditional PC with a keyboard 160 and amouse or other pointing means such as a touch screen. The interfaceprovides the means by which the user can easily interact with the cashhandling apparatus. Dependent upon the nature of the transaction theuser may be requested to login and identify themselves. In the contextof retail the user may also be requested to identify the till from whichthe cash originated.

The loading apparatus comprises an input hopper 102 above a documentfeeder 104 of conventional form which feeds documents past a banknotecounter and verifier 106 which may be based on the De La Rue 2650machine. This counter and verifier 106 will check input banknotes forone or more of fitness, authenticity using for example UV fluorescence,IR response, magnetic thread presence and the like and also denominationusing either size or pattern recognition. The document feeder 104 andverifier 106 may be based on any apparatus capable of accepting andverifying notes.

In addition, a cheque reader, such as a MICR reader, could be provided,for example for reading cheques printed by the till.

The loading apparatus may also have the ability to dispense notes andpotentially may even have recycling capability (not shown). A memory 120within the counter 106 is incremented 154 with the value ofauthenticated banknotes, the banknotes being loaded onto an escrowplatform 110 by a stacker wheel 112. (The escrow stage is optional).

When the notes are held in the escrow, the user is prompted with thevalue counted and asked to confirm the value. If the value is confirmedthe notes are moved to the container. If, however, the user indicatesthe value is incorrect the notes may be returned 158 to the user via adoor 118 to refeed or alternatively the user could be prompted to enterthe expected value. If the latter route is taken after the user hasentered the expected value the notes can be moved to the container andin addition the details of the query is sent to the memory for storage.

Alternatively the apparatus may automatically reconcile the counted andverified cash against Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) data provided by atill 2. In this case the user will not be prompted to confirm themachine total. The EPOS data may be supplied real time by a direct linkbetween the till and the apparatus or alternatively this information maybe provided by some other means e.g. receipt generated by the till insuitable machine readable format such as bar code.

If a banknote is not recognised, the counter 106 will stop the feeder104 with the unrecognised note being fed to the escrow 110 and a messagewill be displayed on a display 114 to enable the user to remove thenotes through a door 118 and refeed them. Alternatively, suspect notescould be fed to a separate hopper (not shown).

The loading apparatus is also provided with the capability (not shown)to count and verify coins and other value tokens supplied through a coinfeeder 108. In other examples, the apparatus could handle coins and notbanknotes or vice versa. Further to this a scanner (not shown) could beprovided for cheques and credit/debit card receipts.

FIG. 4 illustrates the range of data which could be stored in the memory120 within the counter.

The apparatus 1 may include an online endorser or shredder to cancelcheques and vouchers. Alternatively, the apparatus could include a knownmechanism for damaging 160 the notes to prevent reuse.

Although documents will normally be manually supplied to the apparatus1, a docking station could be provided on a till 2 for connection to thesystem and allowing automatic transfer of documents.

Separator cards may be fed 162 by the operator at the start and end ofthe transaction, possibly with other cards fed between banknotes,cheques and vouchers, and/or between denominations. These cards maycontain a code that is read by the envelope or bag filler equipment andcauses it to reconfigure any relevant detectors and/or settings to besuitable for the following documents.

In addition to banknotes, the system could be adapted to handle otherdocuments kept in the till relating to the value of transactions such ascredit card receipts and receipts from skimming. The system could alsocarry out on-line reconciliation with the till.

In another modification (not shown), the system could include an on-lineprinter to print and insert headers and/or footers into the bag orenvelope. In addition, an input pad, e.g. keypad or touch screen, isprovided to allow an operator to input supporting information to thetransaction data. E.g. information about reject documents or referenceto a till skimming receipt.

Once the user confirms that the machine total is correct, he indicatesthis to the system controller 122 through the input device 160. At thesame time, the user may indicate how the money is to be credited,typically by entering a bank account number and the like. The systemcontroller 122 will then cause the banknotes to be transferred in aconventional manner to a packer plate 124 mounted on a lead screw 126.Here the pack of banknotes is banded 162 by a banding mechanism 128 andthen dropped into a bag 130 supported in a bag area 132. The bag ismanually located in position. In other cases (not shown), the bag can beautomatically supplied from a store. In that case, the bag or envelopecan be opened using a vacuum or mechanical device. Banding the pack ofbanknotes holds then securely together and may also secure the separatoror header and footer in the correct position within the pack should suchfeatures be utilized.

An envelope or bag sealing system 134 supports the bag 130 and includesa sealer for sealing the open end of the bag once all documents andother items have been loaded. The bag may already be provided with aunique id in the form of a bar code which can be read by a bar codereader (not shown). This bar code will be unique to, and preprinted on,the bag and thus provide a unique reference to the contents of the bagand the account to be credited. Alternatively, as shown, the bar codecould be printed on the bag, typically after sealing, by a printer 136.In this case, the bar code could encode other information such as thevalue of the bag content.

The unique code may be transmitted by the system controller 122 to thehost 4 typically located remotely from the loading apparatus 1 where theinformation is retained in a store (not shown). This communication maybe by the Internet, PSTN etc.

In general, selected data from the memory 120 may be stored on or in thebag 130 by any number of means for example barcodes, RFID, IC chips,magnetic storage media, optical storage media, magneto optics, solidstate memory etc. The data may be encrypted prior to being stored on orin the container to further increase security. RFID tags allow a >trackand trace= system to be used. Thus, RFID tags can record operators,using a smart card to identify themselves, and various readers, forexample at a safe or a door, which record the location of each envelopeand the person responsible for it at any given time.

The code could include a time limit, which could be used to reduce thetime available for the bag or envelope to be tampered with, i.e.envelopes received >late= would be put to one side for inspection. Thisis just one means by which the non-physical integrity of the envelopeand its contents can be validated. Alternatively the information couldbe encrypted prior to application, the deposit apparatus having suitablemeans for decrypting the information. As a further alternative thesystem 1 could be connected to a financial institution to obtain anauthorisation code. Therefore, the financial institution, e.g. a bank,knows when a transaction has happened, possibly some details, and theacceptance machine knows what to expect. Unexpected envelopes can berejected or quarantined. The envelopes could be put into differentlocations within the machine, i.e. all cash envelopes are put into onebag, all cheques in another etc. or alternatively all envelopes from onetill could be collated into one envelope. One or a combination ofseveral or all the above alternatives could be utilized within a system.

The data may simply contain information relating to the value,denomination split, time of filling etc or may include additional data.For example, if there were suspect or reject notes within the count thiscould be highlighted and the recipient would know further inspection ofthe contents is required. Also if an escrow was present and the userrejected the count value but entered an expected value this could behighlighted for closer inspection.

It will be appreciated that although a 1D bar code has been described inthis example, there are many other types of code which could be usedsuch as 2D bar codes, random numbers and the like. Furthermore, the codecould be printed on one or both sides of the envelope and/or indifferent positions on the envelope so that it can be easily detectedand read.

In summary, the code could simply define a unique number but could beused additionally to address one or more of the following types ofinformation stored in the store 120:

ID for the user operating the filling machine

Filling machine ID

Time of fill

Amount in envelope

Contents of envelope, denomination, currency type, total value, valuedenomination

Destination of deposit, bank account number and type

Specific instructions how the deposit should be handled

ID of transaction

Method on how the envelope will be deposited

How the deposit will take place.

As an alternative, when using apparatus which can separate suspect andnon-suspect notes into two feed paths, rejects may be placed in a bagand the bag provided with information relating to the reject. Thenon-suspect notes accepted during the transaction would be placed in adifferent bag and in addition to the standard information also beprovided with information relating to the reject. The two bags will alsobe provided with information to allow a recipient to link and crossreference the containers and thus the reject and non-suspect notes to asingle transaction.

The various possibilities for actions at this stage are summarized inFIG. 5.

After sealing, the bag 130 is dropped into an outlet receptacle 138 fromwhere is can be retrieved via a door 140. Doors 142,144 are provided toaccess other parts of the apparatus to recover jams etc.

A receipt will also be issued using a printer 146.

In other methods, the bag 130 may be sealed manually by the operator andnot automatically. This may use any of the methods described before ormay use a tamper indicating >tie-wrap= style tag, a large range of whichare already available.

In another arrangement with suitable apparatus (not shown), thedocuments could be sorted by denomination, condition, type (banknote,cheque) etc. into different locations for loading into differentenvelopes.

Now that the counted and verified banknotes are contained within thesealed, tamper evident bag, if that bag is maintained in a relativelysecure environment, it is possible to effect changes of ownership of themoney without physically transferring the banknotes themselves, with abank account being incremented immediately.

However, in the preferred embodiment illustrated in this example, thesealed bag can be taken in a relatively unsecure manner to the banknotedeposit apparatus 5.

The transfer could be effected by post, by a retailer, or using a cashin transport (CIT) company. In this latter case, the CIT company couldcarry out the sorting and packaging while in transit.

The envelope or bag is then supplied to the deposit apparatus 5 whichincludes a bar code and tamper evident reader (to be described below).If the envelope has not been tampered with (step 200, FIG. 6), it willbe fed to a, typically secure, drop deposit acceptance unit (not shown)while information 202 from the bar code is passed back to the host 4.The host 4 can then determine from the bar code the value of thebanknotes in the envelope by reference to information in its store. Thisinformation, if acceptable, 204 is then passed and the appropriateaccount is credited 206. A receipt may be issued 212 by the depositapparatus 5 or bank 8.

If the account has already been credited when the bag was filled (asdescribed above), the account could be debited if the bag is tamperedwith or fails to reach the deposit apparatus 5 in the specified time.

If the data or bag is unacceptable, it may be returned to the operator208 or retained for inspection 210. In that event, if an account hasalready been incremented, it could be decremented or marked or flaggedto indicate it may not be correct.

Alternatively, the bag may be inserted into a night safe that has aninput pad where the operator can type in a code that is related to thebag and/or the user. This code could be used to identify the bagtherefore, in this version, the night safe does not require a codereader.

While an in-built reader is provided in this example, a handheld devicecould be used.

Alternatively the contents of the envelope or bag may be removedautomatically by a counting/sorting apparatus within a CIT or bankinginstitution. This is preferable where the envelope comprises a rigid orsemi-rigid container and can be >docked= into the apparatus. The dockingprocess also allows the transfer of the information describing thecontents of the envelope.

An example of a tamper evident envelope 130 is shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B.FIG. 9A illustrates the envelope 130 in its unsealed condition having alower leaf 318 secured along edges 301,302 (by pressure sensitive or,preferably heat seal adhesive) to an upper leaf 319 and defining a space320 therebetween. In practice, the leaves 318,319 may be formed bysimply folding a single laminate about a line 321. As shown in FIGS. 9Aand 9B the lower leaf 318 defines a flap portion 322 carrying aself-adhesive strip 304 having a cover strip 305 pre-applied sonotes/documents inserted into the envelope do not attach themselves whenthe envelope is filled. The adhesive used for the strip 304 and betweenthe leaves 318,319 will achieve a bond strength greater, that is higher,than achieved within the triple layers of the envelope material (to bedescribed). This is to ensure that unauthorised opening can be detected.Examples of suitable adhesives are HB-Fuller SE5235, SE5269 which arewater based or Ashland Adhesives 390M which is solvent based. Theadhesive SE5235 could also be used as a pressure sensitive adhesive forthe sealing of laminate envelopes. After documents have been insertedinto the envelope 130, the strip 305 is removed, and the flap portion322 folded over and adhered to the upper leaf 319. Any conventionalmeans can be used to achieve automatic folding and sealing. The sealedenvelope can now be handled in a relatively unsecure manner which isparticularly advantageous.

In this example the envelope 130 has also been coded, using a bar code309, in such a way that its content can be identified without openingthe container. In this instance the code is pre-printed, as previouslydescribed, onto the container so as uniquely to identify the containeror envelope/bag, the code enabling a store or memory to be addressedwhich contains information defining, amongst other things, the totalvalue of the contents.

Each leaf 318,319 is made up of a triple laminate of layers 323-325respectively. Each layer 323-325 comprises a polyester materialcontaining titanium dioxide so that it presents a white, opaque colourunder normal, white light illumination, each layer then being providedwith a different fluorescent additive. The layer 323 has an orangefluorescent additive, the layer 324 a green fluorescent additive, andthe layer 325 a yellow phosphorescent additive. Suitable additives canbe obtained from Imperial Materials.

Under non-white light, eg UV, illumination the layers 323-325 willfluoresce in accordance with their particular additives. If the envelope130 has not been tampered with then only the outer, orange fluorescencewill be visible. If, however, an attempt has been made to scratchinformation from the surface of the envelope or to cut the envelope,there will be a change in the resultant visible fluorescence which canbe detected. In some cases, damage could be detected using visibleirradiation, for example if a brightly coloured material is exposed andthis is visible in normal light.

In order to be able to handle envelopes of the type shown in FIGS. 9Aand 9B, a bar code and tamper evident reader system 316 is constructedas shown in FIG. 10. The system comprises two pairs of feed rollers330,331 controlled by a motor 332 which in turn is controlled from amicroprocessor 333. Upper and lower UV sources 334,335 controlled fromthe microprocessor 333 are provided downstream of the rollers 330, andsensors 336,337 are located downstream of the sources 334,335 to detectfluorescent light.

A pair of white light sources 338,339 are located downstream of thesensors 336,337 for the purpose of detecting a bar code 309, reflectedlight being incident on respective sensors 341,342 connected to themicroprocessor 333.

When an envelope 130 is presented to the input (not shown) of the readersystem 316, it is detected by a sensor (not shown) to which themicroprocessor 333 responds by activating the rollers 330,331 to drawthe envelope 8 into the system. The microprocessor 333 then activatesthe sources 334,335 which like the other sources and detectors extendsacross the full width of the envelope 130 so that the envelope isirradiated with UV radiation on both sides. Any fluorescent radiationwill be received through suitable filters by the sensors 336,337 and theintensity of this radiation together with wavelength information will befed to the microprocessor 333.

The microprocessor 333 then compares the received wavelengths andpossibly the locations on the envelope generating the receivedwavelengths with prestored information in a store 343. This prestoredinformation may comprise wavelengths which would be detected if theenvelope had been tampered with, optionally with this information beingstored for each region of the envelope monitored by the sensors 336,337.If any radiation is received which suggests that the envelope has beentampered with (in the example described above this would correspond togreen or yellow radiation) then the microprocessor 333 will determinethat the envelope has been tampered with and cause the motor 332 toreverse so that the envelope is fed back out of the input. It will beappreciated that the structure of the envelope is such that tamperingwith any part of it will be detected.

If the tamper evident test is successful, the white light sources338,339 are illuminated so that the bar code information can be sensedby one of the sensors 341,342 and be passed to the microprocessor 333.The microprocessor 333 then allows the envelope 130 to be fed onto astore (not shown) while transmitting information about the bar code tothe remote host 4 so that the host can credit an account with the valueof the items e.g. banknotes in the envelope without the need to open theenvelope.

In simpler forms of the apparatus, only one side of the envelope couldbe inspected. If unsuccessful, the user would then need to insert theenvelope in a different orientation to be checked again.

Also, under controlled conditions, the envelope could be manuallyscanned and in this case it is preferable to apply bar codes in multiplepositions down each side of the envelope so that to achieve deposit thedetector must see all the bar codes and hence have a reasonable view ofthe complete exterior of the envelope.

FIGS. 11 to 20 summarize in diagrammatic form the various embodimentsdescribed and indicate some further alternatives.

1. Container loading apparatus comprising an inlet for receiving itemsof value; a transport system for feeding the items of value from theinlet; a monitoring system for monitoring items of value fed to it bythe transport system; a container loading system for loading acceptableitems, as determined by the monitoring system, into a container; meansfor providing an overt or covert indication of the content of thecontainer; and a container closing mechanism for closing the containersuch that the indication is detectable from outside the container. 2.Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container closing mechanismcomprises a sealer for sealing plastic containers.
 3. Apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising a banding mechanism for placinga band around the items of value prior to loading them into a container.4. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a container supplysystem for supplying containers from a store to the container loadingsystem.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring systemcomprises a counting and verifying system for counting and verifying theitems of value.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein themonitoring system further comprises an item identifying device. 7.Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the monitoring system is adaptedto monitor banknotes.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein all thecomponents of the apparatus are mounted in or on a common housing. 9.Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the housing is portable, forexample being mounted on wheels or rollers.
 10. Apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the indication providing means comprises a printerlocated downstream of the container closure mechanism.
 11. Apparatusaccording to claim 10, wherein the printer is adapted to print theindication on the outside of the container.
 12. Apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the indication providing means comprises a printeradapted to print the indication on an insert, the container loadingsystem being adapted to load the insert into the container such that thevisual indication is detectable through a window of the container. 13.Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an escrow locationdownstream of the monitoring system and upstream of the containerloading system, for example to allow a user to retrieve the items ofvalue before they are loaded into the container.
 14. Apparatus accordingto claim 1, the apparatus being coupled with a retail till or cash pointat least for electronic communication with the till or cash point. 15.Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the inlet of the apparatus isconnected to the till or cash point to receive items of value therefrom.16. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport system isadapted to transport items of value to one of a plurality of locationsin accordance with the determination by the monitoring system, acontainer loading system being provided at each location.
 17. Apparatusaccording to claim 1, the apparatus further comprising an item of valueoutlet, the transport system being adapted to dispense items of value,on request, to the outlet.
 18. Apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising an indicator card store for storing indicator cards which canbe transported to the container loading system for loading with theitems of value.
 19. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising acontrol system for controlling operation of the apparatus.
 20. Apparatusaccording to claim 19, wherein the control system can only be activatedby an operator inputting a pass code.
 21. Apparatus according to claim20, further comprising an input device to enable the pass code to beentered, the input device comprising one or more of a keypad, magneticstripe reader, smart card reader, biometric reader and the like.
 22. Amethod of loading items of value into a container, the method comprisingfeeding the items along a transport path; monitoring the items foracceptability; loading acceptable items into a container; providing anovert or covert indication on or in the container relating to itscontent; and closing the container such that the indication isdetectable from outside the container.
 23. A method according to claim22, further comprising placing a band around the items of value prior toloading them into a container.
 24. A method according to claim 22,wherein the monitoring step comprises counting, verifying, and/oridentifying the items of value.
 25. A method according to claim 22,wherein the indication is printed on the outside of the container.
 26. Amethod according to claim 22, wherein the indication is provided beforethe items have been loaded into the container.
 27. A method according toclaim 22, wherein the indication is provided after the items have beenloaded into the container.
 28. A method according to claim 22, whereinthe items of value are fed to an escrow location prior to being loadedinto the container.